Former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson retired from the NFL at 30 and never looked back. Johnson had dealt with a series of injuries, but was still a productive player when he decided to walk away.
But while Johnson is happy in retirement, the former All-Pro receiver still isn’t comfortable with the way the Lions handled his retirement.
“I just didn’t feel like I was treated the way I should have been treated on the way out,” Johnson told the Detroit Free Press on Saturday. “That’s all. I mean, it’s all good. I’m not tripping. I don’t feel any kind of way, just hey, that’s what they did. Hey, it is what is.”
Asked what Johnson was referring to, he said, “It’s easy when you think about it.”
Johnson was required to pay back $320,000 of his $3.2 million signing bonus from his contract. The Lions, theoretically, could have asked for all of it back, but the fact they even bothered to ask for 10 percent of it back still struck a nerve with Johnson.
Tony Romo, by comparison, wasn’t required to pay back his signing bonus when he retired. The Dallas Cowboys instead released Romo, so the quarterback could keep his $5 million signing bonus.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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